Foie gras burger blurs fast food and fine dining

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PARIS (Reuters) - A French fast food chain said Monday it intends to offer foie gras “burgers” at bargain prices as a treat for customers ahead of Christmas.

Quick burger said its “Supreme Foie Gras” will consist of the normally expensive duck foie gras, beef, relish and lettuce and go on sale for only 5 euros ($6.57) at more than 350 outlets across France from December 17th to 19th.

“We want to give our clients great taste at cheap prices and give them the possibility to party a little ahead of time,” Quick’s Marketing Director Laurent Niewolinski, told Reuters.

Foie gras, a luxury dish in French cuisine, is made from the liver of a duck or goose which has been force-fed corn mash, a practice denounced by animal protection groups who say the animals live in constant stress because of it.

Niewolinski brushed off potential criticism, saying that foie gras was a traditional part of French celebrations.

In a bid to rival U.S. fast food giant McDonald’s, Quick has focused its business strategy on innovations such as unusual burgers offered on a short-term basis and the launch of halal-only restaurants (selling meat and poultry permissible for observant Muslims), a move that sparked a heated debate in the country earlier this year.